1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention pertains to apparatus and methods used for laser-based speed measurement of moving objects. Non-limiting embodiments of the invention are directed to portable, modularized, and self-contained opto-electronic apparatus for testing and certifying the accurate operation of a laser-based speed measuring device (hereinafter, “laser gun”), and methods associated therewith.
2. Description of Related Art
Laser-based speed measuring devices, which are commonly referred to as “laser guns,” are regularly used by law enforcement agencies to monitor vehicle speeds as an aid in enforcing traffic laws.
Laser guns incorporate electronic components whose performance can degrade over time. Since they are not intended to be adjusted by the end user, laser guns require periodic certification to correlate the speed values they display to the actual speed of the object being measured. This becomes especially important when the use of a laser gun by law enforcement agencies results in tangible punishment of offenders of vehicle traffic laws. In many such cases, the accuracy of the laser gun used by the officer is called into question in a court of law.
Since the accuracy of a laser gun may be called into question, accurate records of each certification performed on each laser gun must be maintained over the service life of the laser gun. These records must also be producible quickly upon demand. In some cases it is also mandatory that a third party conduct the actual laser gun certification.
Currently available apparatus and processes used to certify the operation of laser guns suffer from a number of disadvantages including but not limited to:
(a) Certifications can be conducted only by using several discrete pieces of highly specialized and relatively costly electronic test equipment. This equipment is generally suitable for use only in a laboratory environment. The cost of this equipment, plus the skills needed to operate and maintain it, precludes most users of laser guns from having their own certification facilities in-house.(b) Each individual piece of test equipment used in laser gun certifications is required to be traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Taken as a whole, this requirement results in substantial calibration costs for the owner of the test equipment, and periodically requires the entire complement of equipment to be taken out of service for calibration.(c) Facilities that do have the proper test equipment and personnel are often located some distance from the owners and users of the laser guns. This requires laser guns to be shipped to and from the certification facility. This increases the possibility of the laser guns being damaged or stolen in transit and increases the amount of time the laser guns are out of service, thereby adding additional cost to the process.(d) Certification records typically are produced through manual data entry or recording techniques, based on sequential manual observations of the test equipment used in the certification process. This process is subject to human error and, because testing always proceeds in a known sequence, provides opportunities for deliberate falsification of data.(e) Records of certifications may not necessarily be stored in a secure manner, which provides opportunities for falsification of (or other alterations to) the data after a certification had been conducted and validated.(f) Among the facilities conducting certifications, there is no standard format for certification records and reports, resulting in inconvenience for the users of laser guns and increasing the chance that certification data might be misinterpreted.(g) Certification requirements vary significantly from user to user (e.g., agency-agency; state-state), and sometimes even within the same law enforcement agency. Because these requirements are inconsistent, there is a very real chance that a particular laser gun, although recently certified, still will not produce accurate results under all conditions in which it might reasonably be used.
The inventor has appreciated the need for apparatus and methods that address and overcome the foregoing disadvantages with current technology and its use.